Jetboil or Trangia

Specifically for cycle touring subjects & questions
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pjclinch
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Re: Jetboil or Trangia

Post by pjclinch »

Periodically stick a drawing pin through all the burner holes and waggle it a little. There's a difference between "meths will come out if inverted" and properly clear.
Also note that the edge-holes only get going with a flame once the burner is hot enough to vapourise the meths, which can take a wee while.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
MartinBrice
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Re: Jetboil or Trangia

Post by MartinBrice »

Thanks for replies.
I dumped the meths and bought some from a DIY place. This has methanol in the ingredients, the other didn't have this. It burns hotter, and lights instantly.
The lesson is that the other stuff seemed to be weaker somehow, maybe for cleaning stuff.
The Trangia, an ex swedish army one, worked fine with UK meths before I left and I've had it for years and it's always been good.
Avoid alcohol de quemar from supermarkets and buy it from DIY places.
Odd that it has the same name though.....
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Sweep
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One would Re: Jetboil or Trangia

Post by Sweep »

One would think that there would be an EU standard for the stuff.

Don't they care about us?
Sweep
JakobW
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Re: One would Re: Jetboil or Trangia

Post by JakobW »

Sweep wrote:One would think that there would be an EU standard for the stuff.

Don't they care about us?


There is: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/b ... umption_en

There is a new "Euro" formulation used by the majority of Member States for completely denatured alcohol (CDA) of:
Per HL of absolute alcohol

1L methyl ethyl ketone (a smelling agent)
1L isopropyl alcohol (a chemical analytical marker)
1gr denatonium benzoate (a tasting agent)
In a few Member States, there are varying combinations of the quantities of 2 of the 3 chemical agents, but all 3 chemical agents are present in all of the 28 Member States "Euro" formulations for CDA.


Most 'meths' doesn't actually contain any methanol, but uses the Euro denaturing agents mentioned above; I'd have thought if you're having trouble lighting it it's more likely simply to have been watered down.
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andrew_s
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Re: Jetboil or Trangia

Post by andrew_s »

Member states are allowed to carry on using their old national formulations, provided they've been authorized at EU level
Norman H
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Re: Jetboil or Trangia

Post by Norman H »

I've no personal experience, but from my limited Spanish, alcohol de quemar sounds as though it should burn just fine.

There are various ways to denature* alcohol and not all denatured alcohol is suitable for burning, as the link above to the EU standard makes clear.

I've been using bioethanol for the last few years. It burns cleanly and doesn't have the unpleasant smell of “meths” of old.

There's also some discussion here.

*Essentially render it unsuitable for human consumption.
JakobW
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Re: Jetboil or Trangia

Post by JakobW »

andrew_s wrote:Member states are allowed to carry on using their old national formulations, provided they've been authorized at EU level


Yes, I couldn't find the document giving the national formulations, but someone has helpfully transcribed it here: http://www.distill.com/specs/EU2.html

Looks like most national formulations are < 5% methanol, which I wouldn't have thought made any difference to burning.
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